Hospital Blues
by deanandhisimpala
Summary: When Dean is injured and must stay in the hospital, old memories return to haunt him, and Sam finds out why Dean hates hospitals so much. Set late Season 2.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: Well I've decided to try my hand at Fanfiction again and see how it goes! Hopefully I've improved :) This story just popped into my head already completely written, and I just wrote it all out. I'm fairly pleased with it, but I've just posted one chapter for now to see what everyone thinks, and if I should continue. Basically, Dean's injured on a hunt and while in the hospital, bad memories from other hospital visits come back to haunt him... everyone knows I can't resist a hurt, angsty Dean! xD**

**Disclaimer: Obviously not mine, or I wouldn't be guessing what Dean and Sam are thinking, I'd know! :)**

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"CA Team to South Wing..."

Sam Winchester sighed, leaning forward in his chair to rest his head in his hands. He barely heard the voices over the intercom, and the cool hospital air felt almost stuffy, it was kind of hard to breathe.

_That's just cause you're panicking, moron. Take deep breaths, _Sam reminded himself. It wouldn't do anybody any good to panic.

"Mr. Simmons?"

Sam's head flew up.

The doctor – Dr. Lewis, as he'd introduced himself earlier – stood just outside the entrance to the closest room.

"Yeah." Sam leaped up, nerves making his stomach turn over. "What's going on, doctor? How is he?"

Dr. Lewis let the door close gently behind him, and headed over to Sam. "Let's sit down."

Sam sat down opposite the doctor, clenching his hands together and biting his lip.

Dr. Lewis smiled at him. "Don't look so worried. It's not as bad as we thought originally. Your brother's going to be okay. Although he is hurt pretty bad – he has two broken ribs, a broken wrist, and a cracked collar bone."

Sam wasn't sure whether this was good or not. He didn't remember ever having a cracked collarbone before, and he didn't think Dean had ever had one either.

"So… what does that mean?" he looked anxiously at the doctor. He felt better now that the doctor said Dean would be okay, but a cracked collarbone didn't sound good.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," Dr. Lewis replied, reading Sam's feelings correctly. "He'll have to keep it in a sling for a while, but it should heal just fine."

Sam let out a sigh of relief, not bothering to disguise it at all. "Great. Thanks so much, Doc. Can I see him?"

"Of course."

Sam quietly opened the door to Dean's room and edged quietly in, in case his brother was sleeping.

"Sammy?" Dean's voice sounded strained.

"Hey Dean." Sam approached the bed as Dean turned his head stiffly to look at Sam. "How you doin', man?" He sat down beside his brother's bed.

Dean shrugged, then winced. "Okay."

Sam knew this meant he was in a lot of pain. Why couldn't he just say so? He decided to avoid an argument for now. "Did a number on yourself this time, huh dude?" Sam said, giving Dean a wry smile.

"You know me," Dean said, with a cocky little grin, "I never can do things only halfway… I like to get the job done."

Sam nodded, smiling in spite of himself. "How's the pain?"

"Not too bad, think I'm on painkillers," Dean replied, slurring a little.

Sam smirked. "Ya think?"

"Shut up," Dean murmured, his eyes drifting shut, then popping back open again.

"Get some sleep, bro," Sam said, starting to stand up.

"Where're you going?" Dean's voice was suddenly young and vulnerable, his green eyes bigger than usual and openly desperate in his drugged and injured state.

Sam had only been going to get a coffee, but decided to wait until Dean was asleep. "Nowhere, dude. Chill. Not leaving." He sat back down.

Dean looked relieved. "Don't leave, 'kay?"

Sam mentally dismissed the coffee. "'Course not, Dean. Now go to sleep." He settled himself further into the chair.

"Sammy?"

"Yeah Dean?"

"You can get a coffee if you want."

Sam grinned. "Okay Dean. Thanks."

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Later that night, Sam woke up to the sound of a quiet hospital. Gentle whirring, quiet beeping, and slight humming. Dean was still sound asleep. Sam stood and stretched, then walked over to the window, watching the snow drift lazily down outside.

They were on the fourth floor of the hospital, but Sam could still see the Impala, parked far below, black paint gleaming in the bright parking lot lights, covered in a thin dusting of sparkling snow. He sighed. Thank God Dean was alright.

The poltergeist they'd taken out had been particularly difficult, and hadn't given in before throwing Dean down a large spiral staircase. Not fun. Sam ambled across the room, looking at the blank walls and empty windowsills. He felt a little pang that whenever he and Dean were in the hospital, there was never anyone to bring flowers or get-well cards or even to send their best wishes. Other patients' windowsills were overflowing with bright flowers and cheerful cards… the Winchester boys' rooms always remained empty and dull.

Oh well. Just another thing the Winchester boys had never had.

He returned to his seat and leaned back, awaiting morning.

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The next morning, Sam awoke to Dean's big, bright eyes.

"Sammy! Gonna sleep all day? I'm bored out of my skull, dude."

Sam smiled a little. It was good to hear Dean sound so cheerful.

"Sorry man, did you want something?"

Dean grinned at him, one of his "aren't-I-cute-don't-you-want-to-get-me-anything-I-ask-for" grins. "I was thinkin' a beer, Sammy."

Sam laughed, hoping his brother wasn't serious. "You can't have any alcohol, you know that, Dean."

"Awww, c'mon, man." Dean eyed him for a minute, checking to see if there was any chance Sam might give in. There wasn't. Sam had his best "I'm-going-to-do-what's-best-for-you" look on.

"Fine… Sam, when can I get outta here?"

Sam raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Dean, you have a cracked collar –"

"I know, I know. Cracked collarbone, broken ribs, broken wrist. Got that already from the doc. But come on, dude! You can take care of me, right? We'll just grab some painkillers…"

Sam was so disarmed by Dean saying "you can take care of me" that he could only stare for a minute. Since when was he allowed to "take care of" Dean? Since never. Sam was pretty sure Dean would rather his eyeballs gouged out with spoons than willingly allow Sam to take care of him.

Finally Sam recovered. "Um, are you kidding, Dean? There is so no way we're leaving. You need a doctor."

"Aw, c'mon Sammy! You're better than these guys…"

"Dean, stop, okay? You know we can't leave. Look, I'm gonna grab that coffee now, okay? You want anything?"

Sighing lightly, Dean shook his head. As soon as Sam left the room, Dean let his nerves take over. He started trembling uncontrollably, and quickly let his head rest in his hands. All he wanted was to get out of here. He hated hospitals, so much. And with good reason. So many awful things had happened in hospitals… Dad's death, the reaper, the heart attack… it was no wonder they gave him nightmares. What some people might find a comforting, safe environment, Dean thought of as a prison.

A constant reminder that death was always lurking right around the corner, ready to claim you whether you were ready or not. The stuffy hospital air made him have a hard time breathing. The whir and beep of machines frightened him – all he could think about when he heard them was the flatlining of his Dad's heart monitor.

"_Time of death, 10:41 am."_

Dean cringed.

"Honey, are you alright?"

A nurse was watching him, looking concerned. "You're shaking, are you cold?"

"Um… yeah," Dean replied, realizing it was true.

"Okay, I'll bring you a warmed blanket." She started to leave, then looked back. "Anything else I can get you?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah… if you see my brother – freakishly tall guy, probably carrying a coffee – tell him to hurry up, please?"

"Sure, hon." She left.

Dean ran a hand through his hair wearily. _I just want to get out of here._

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**Well... what do you think? Let me know if you think I should continue. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much to everybody who reviewed the last chapter! :D It was so great to hear everybody's comments. Thank you also to the reviewer who left the unsigned review about how it would have been kind of hard for Dean to rest his head in his hands with a broken wrist and cracked collarbone... my mistake lol and thank you for pointing that out! :) I appreciate it. Also thanks to everybody who just read without reviewing - it's always nice to know people are reading. :)**

**And a special thanks to SupernaturalGeek who gave me my first review only a couple of hours after I posted! :D You are sooo awesome girl!**

**Here is the second and final chapter. I hope you guys like it. Thank you so much to everyone once again for reading! You guys rock. :)**

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Sam got back before the nurse, and sat down beside Dean's bed. "Hey dude, what's wrong?"

Dean looked up, pale and shaking. "I gotta get out of here, man, please." He sat up, wincing, looking at Sam with pleading eyes.

Sam sighed. "Dean, what's going on with you? What's got you so freaked?"

Dean shrugged, lowering his eyes to his knees. "Nothing, Sam, I just… I just hate hospitals, that's all."

Sam adjusted himself in the chair and got the "I-understand-everything" look. "You always have, Dean. What's new? Don't worry, we'll be out of here in a few days."

"Sam, this is different…" Dean was cut off by the nurse returning.

"Here you go, sweetie. Wrap that around you and you'll be warm in no time."

"Thanks," the brothers said in unison. Sam helped Dean arrange the warmed blanket around himself, then sat back down.

"Better, man?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded, leaning into the warmth and closing his eyes.

"So what were you saying? This is different, why?" Sam asked, looking carefully at his brother.

Dean sighed. "They give me nightmares, okay Sam?"

"What do?"

"Hospitals."

Sam stared at his brother. Dean? Nightmares? "What kind of nightmares?"

"Dude! Nightmares! Does it matter what kind?" Dean glared at him irritably.

Sam shrugged. "Look man, we can't go. You're hurt pretty bad."

"I'll be fine, I'm always fine. I've had worse, Sam." He paused, looking at Sam desperately. "Please, Sammy."

"Oh no you don't, Dean. Don't give me that lost-puppy-in-the-woods look, it's not going to work."

Dean stared at him. "Lost-puppy-in-the-woods? Seriously dude, what the hell?"

Sam had to laugh at Dean's face. "Dean, we're not leaving." He tried not to look at Dean's crushed expression. Why couldn't Dean just explain himself? What nightmares? He'd never seen Dean have a nightmare, like, ever. He sat down beside Dean's bed, and they were both silent.

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"_DEAN!"_

_Dean flew up from his bed, heart pounding. Sam stood in the doorway, frantic, the cuts and bruises on his face contrasting sharply with his paper-white skin. _

"_It's Dad!" _

"_What?" Dean jumped out of bed despite the ache in his chest. "What about Dad?"_

_But Sam was already gone, running down the hall. Dean tried to keep up, but Sam was much faster, for some reason – even though Dean could always keep up with him on hunts. But he finally caught up, only to see Dad, lying completely still on a bed with doctors surrounding him. The heart monitor was flatlining… "Time of death, 10:41 am." "DAD!" He screamed, gaping at his father's still body._

_He turned to look at Sam, but it wasn't Sam anymore. It was something twisted and burnt and –_

"SAMMY!" Dean shot up, crying out.

"Sir?"

Dean glanced frantically at the nurse, who was looking shocked.

"SAM? Where's my brother? SAMMY!!"

"Mr. Simmons?"

Sam looked up from the paperwork he was filling out. "Yeah?"

"Your brother needs you, please hurry." The nurse looked very shaken.

Sam dropped the paper and ran after her, sprinting down the hall toward his brother's room, then bursting in loudly.

Dean was sitting up in bed, his green eyes panicked, skin white as a ghost.

"Dean – Dean what's the matter, buddy?" Sam ran to his brother's side, and Dean instantly grabbed onto Sam's shirt, gripping it so tightly Sam thought it would rip. "Dean, calm down bro, tell me what's wrong." He held Dean's shoulders firmly, forcing him to sit still. But Dean only whimpered "Sammy…" sounding dangerously close to tears. It surprised Sam so much he didn't know what to say. So he just put his arms around his brother and let Dean bury his face in Sam's chest. "It's okay, man. It's alright." He rubbed his brother's back comfortingly, until Dean pulled back, looking exhausted.

"Dean, you gonna tell me what happened now?" Sam leaned down so he could see Dean's face.

Dean looked at him, green eyes too big, too shiny. "Just a nightmare, Sam."

"JUST a nightmare? That was some nightmare," Sam said, raising his eyebrows. "What did you see, Dean?"

What could have freaked his brother out this much? But then, looking into Dean's eyes, which had that familiar looking shimmer in them, Sam suddenly knew what Dean was going to say even before he said it.

"Dad… I saw Dad." Dean looked away, sniffing hard to hold back the threatening tears.

Sam rubbed Dean's shoulder comfortingly. He didn't even have to ask what Dad had been doing in the dream. It was obvious Dean had been reliving John's death. Sam shook his head. How could he have not seen this coming?

"I told you," Dean mumbled quietly.

"What?" Sam stared, then remember his brother saying earlier that he got nightmares in the hospital. "Oh man. Dean, I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about," Dean said shortly, lowering his eyes a little. He was still sitting near Sam, his shoulder still brushing Sam's.

"No, Dean, I didn't believe you." Sam felt guilt gnawing at the pit of his stomach as he realized what he could have saved Dean from if he's only listened, taken him out of the hospital, or at least stayed with him in the room.

Dean shrugged, mask already falling back into place. "It's not your fault, Sammy."

"Maybe it's no my fault, but I can do something about it now," Sam said firmly. "We're leaving tomorrow, Dean."

"Really?" Dean looked up at him, hope in his eyes.

"Definitely," Sam promised.

Dean recognized the "don't-worry-Dean-I've-got-this" look right away, and immediately felt safe. He knew Sam would get him out of here now. He was leaving this prison!

"Not one more night here," Sam went on. "I'll go ask the doctor what I need to do, okay? I'll be back, Dean."

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First thing the next morning, Sam and Dean were leaving the hospital. Dean, although stiff and sore, couldn't have been happier.

"Dude, you don't know how good it is to get out of there," he said, flashing Sam a truly pleased smile.

Sam, who was holding onto Dean's arm protectively, grinned back. "I think maybe I do know, Dean. I dunno about you, but I was getting seriously tired of hospital air."

Dean laughed. "Hell yeah, Sammy. Can I have a beer now?"

Sam gave him a long look as he hopened the Impala's door for his brother. "Funny, Dean. Remember you're still on painkillers."

"Aw, Sammy, you're such a buzzkill," Dean replied, but his voice held no irritation.

As Sam settled into the driver's seat, he glanced at Dean. His brother was leaning his head back on the head rest, eyes closed, looking like he'd never been happier in his entire life to be in his baby. Sam let himself enjoy the feeling of being with his brother in the Impala, no hospital air, and a couple of weeks of definite vacation ahead of them. He smiled to himself.

"Dude, quit grinning at the air and start driving," Dean said, without opening his eyes. "I'd like to go to bed in a normal bed, if it's not too much trouble."

Sam had to laugh. Dean just knew him too well.

"Okay, Dean, we're going." He turned on the car, and smiled as he heard Dean sigh happily at the familiar rumble of the Impala's engine. As he pulled out onto the road, he thought back on the past few days. He'd learned a little more about his brother, even though it was far from something he was happy knowing. Sam didn't blame Dean for disliking hospitals so much now – it was no wonder they stirred up bad memories… the stuff that had happened there… he quickly stopped himself before the memories became too clear.

Yeah, Dean had every reason to have nightmares while he was in hospitals. And – Sam promised himself and his sleeping brother in the passenger seat – he wouldn't leave Dean's bedside when he was asleep in a hospital again, unless there was someone else there to be with him, like Bobby. Because with their life, there was no avoiding trips to the hospital.

Dean didn't often let Sam in on his fears, and now that he had, Sam swore he'd do everything he could to make it easier on his brother. Cause that's what brothers did.

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**Well there it is - I hope it lived up to you guys expectations. You've all been so great, reviewing and reading, I couldn't be happier. Please leave a review on your way out and let me know what you thought! :) Thanks to everybody again for reading. All your reviews make it worth how scary it is to post a story I've written on here - it's always nerve wracking - but you guys are so kind with your reviews and it makes it all worth it. So thank you!! :)**

**Until next time...**

**Deanandhisimpala**


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